Starcrossed Lovers from Different Backgrounds
by elang4
Summary: Inspired by Starcrossed Lovers and Other Bombshells which I co-wrote with nzlouise quite a while ago now. Luke and Lorelai get together much earlier on. However, an awful event occurs which threatens to tear everything apart. Follow Lorelai, Luke and Rory as they overcome ups and downs in their life in Stars Hollow.
1. Chapter 1

**I will keep going with This is Home but I feel like not many are reading that ones and recently I've been rereading Starcrossed Lovers and Other Bombshells that I co-wrote with nzlouise ages ago and I feel like I could make something of it so I want to redo it. It won't be completely the same obviously as that would just be boring but the same premise will be there.**

**To recap, Lorelai and Luke get together much earlier in the show but then an awful event threatens to tear that apart. They will overcome ups and downs in their life but I promise this will be a big javajunkie fic. :)**

Chapter 1

Lorelai couldn't help the giddy smile that appeared on her face as she walked into the Crap Shack that evening. Even Rory conspiring with Lane so that Lane could go on a double date with one of Dean's friends and keeping Mrs Kim in the dark and therefore causing Mrs Kim to have it out with Lorelai in the diner couldn't stop the smile disappearing from her face.

"So you're not mad?" Rory said.

"What?" Lorelai said coming out of her daze.

"Well...you're smiling so...it seems like you're not mad..." Rory said carefully.

Lorelai glanced at her daughter and smiled thinking back to what had just happened.

_Lorelai was sat on a stool at the counter in Luke's. She was glad to finally be rid of Rune. She smiled and glanced over at the table in the corner where Sookie and Jackson were giggling. "God that's nice." She said._

_"Yep." Luke said._

_"The whole 'first date, beginning of the relationship' glow. Everything is new and exciting." Lorelai said._

_"Every joke is hilarious." Luke nodded._

_"Every little touch is incredible." She smiled softly, gently touching Luke's arm._

_"Mm-hm." He said._

_"God that's a good feeling." She sighed, smiling sadly, thinking back to Max breaking up with her because he couldn't lose his job._

_"It is at that." Luke agreed._

_"I miss that." Lorelai admitted._

_Luke glanced at her. "You'll have it again." He said._

_"Mmm...I guess." She shrugged._

_Luke glanced at her for a moment. "You know, maybe sometime we could..." He said before stopping._

_Lorelai glanced at him. "We could what?" She said._

_He coughed slightly, glancing down at the floor and then back up her. "Maybe sometime we could...you know...experience that..uh..first date glow thing..uh...together?" He said._

_"Oh!" Lorelai said surprised._

_"It's cool. It was a stupid idea anyway." Luke brushed it off, kicking himself for even suggesting it._

_"No, I just...I didn't realise you..." She said still trying to take in that Luke had just practically asked her out._

_"It's fine, Lorelai. Honestly." He said gruffly._

_"Luke..." She said softly._

_"Yeah?" He sighed._

_"I think that would be nice." She smiled._

_"What?" He said surprised._

_"I think it would be nice to experience the first date glow together. I mean, if you really want to?" Lorelai said._

_Luke glanced at her for a moment. "Yeah." He said softly. "Yeah I want to."_

_Lorelai smiled at him. "Ok then."_

_Luke smiled slightly. "Ok then." He said. "So..uh..." He started before Mrs Kim came bursting into the diner._

"Ok, you're freaking me out now. What's with the giddy smile? I thought you'd be mad." Rory said.

Lorelai shook herself out of her daze again and glanced at her daughter. "I'm annoyed that you lied to me about Mrs Kim knowing what you guys were doing." She said. "But...I can see why you did."

"Yeah?" Rory said hesitantly.

"You were trying to help out a friend. Just...don't get me involved next time ok? I don't like Mrs Kim thinking I had something to do with it." She said.

"I won't. Promise." Rory said quickly. She glanced at her mom. "So what's with the smile?" She asked intrigued.

Lorelai's smile faltered slightly. She hadn't even thought about what Rory would think about this. Would she like the idea of her and Luke going on a date? "Oh..uh...ok, maybe we should sit down." She said leading her to the couch.

"Ok, you're being weird now..." Rory said.

Lorelai sighed. "Luke asked me out on a date." She blurted out.

Rory's eyes widened. "What?" She said shocked.

"Luke asked me out on a date tonight." She repeated, glancing nervously at her daughter.

"But...when? How? How did this happen?" Rory asked full of questions.

"I don't know. You know how I went on a double date with Sookie and Jackson tonight?" She said. She continued when Rory nodded. "Well...my date was a big dud and we ended up at Luke's because it was going so badly. Sookie was so nervous so we thought Luke's might relax her. And once Rune left, she did and her and Jackson ended up having a real nice time." She smiled, remembering her best friend's face.

"Aw that's good." Rory said happy for Sookie.

"Yeah. Well...I didn't want to impose so I went to sit at the counter and Luke kept me company. We had fun. We played card, we chatted and then..." She said.

"And then what?"

"We were talking about Sookie and Jackson and the first date glow and stuff and...he...well, he just asked me out. He asked whether I'd want to experience that with him..." She said not being able to stop the smile reappear on her face.

"Wow...you're really happy about this..." Rory commented quietly.

"I...I don't know what to think." Lorelai admitted. "I just...I know I like spending time with him. He's one of my best friends."

"I know." Rory said.

She sighed. "Look, if this is at all weird for you, I will just tell him I can't go." She said. "You're my priority. I know you told me not to date him a few months ago..."

Rory looked at her mom for a moment. "Yeah...but that was before Max..." She said.

"What do you mean?" Lorelai said confused.

"Well...you weren't ready a few months ago..." She shrugged.

"I wasn't?" She said still confused.

Rory sighed. "I think back then, it was just a spur of the moment thought but...I think now...well I think you actually really want this."

"I don't know. I heard myself saying yes before even thinking about it. Maybe I do need to think about it..." Lorelai sighed. She glanced at her daughter. "What...how are you feeling about this?"

"Well...I guess it would be a little weird. I mean, it is Luke. The town's Luke, our Luke." She said. "He's been in our life for so long. Everyone would know if you were together and everyone would know if you broke up..."

"Yeah..." She said quietly. "So you're saying you don't want me to change things?" She said cautiously.

"No." Rory said honestly. "I like Luke. You know I do. I just think you need to be sure before you start something. Because this is big..."

"Yeah I know." Lorelai said. She glanced at Rory. "I think I want to try..." She admitted.

Rory smiled slightly. "Well...then you should go for it."

"Really?" Lorelai said.

"Yeah." Rory smiled. "I want you to be happy."

"I love you kid." Lorelai said softly.

"I love you too." She said softly. "I'm going to head to bed now..."

"Ok hon. Night."

"Night mom." She said giving her a kiss on the cheek before disappearing to her room.

Lorelai stood there for a moment before picking up the phone and dialling a familiar morning. She smiled as she heard the very familiar voice answer. "Hey..." She said.

"Oh hey!" Luke said.

"Is this a good time to talk?" She asked heading upstairs to her room.

"Yeah, I've just headed upstairs." He said. "What's up? Did you sort everything out with Mrs Kim?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah, that's sorted." She said.

"Ok good." He said. "So...what's up?"

"Oh I..uh..I didn't want to leave things as they were. We kind of got interrupted..." Lorelai said nervously.

"Oh..right." Luke said.

Lorelai was quiet for a moment. "I spoke to Rory about what we talked about." She admitted.

"Oh you did?" He said surprised, although he didn't know why he was surprised. He knew Lorelai and Rory spoke about everything. "And..uh..what did she say?" He asked nervously.

"She told me I should be sure about it. Because..uh..this would be big. Like...very big." Lorelai said biting her lip slightly.

"Yeah." Luke said quietly. He sighed. "It's ok if you're having second doubts..." He said.

"I just...I don't want it to ruin our friendship. You're one of my best friends, Luke. I...I can't lose you." She said honestly.

"I get that. And...I think that's why I've bottled out of asking you for so long." Luke said honestly.

"You've been wanting to ask me for a long time?" Lorelai said softly.

"Since we met." He admitted.

"Wow..." Lorelai said stunned.

"I don't want to lose you either. You..uh..well, my life wasn't great before I met you. I know it won't surprise you that I wasn't exactly a very jolly person..." He said.

"I'm floored." She teased.

Luke chuckled slightly. "I know." He said. "But...suddenly you came bursting into the diner and then subsequently into my life, and then I met Rory as well and you two kind of became constants in my life. I just...I want more." He admitted. "I really like you. Well...I think that's obvious and now I'm making a complete fool of myself. What I'm trying to say is that I know you're worried about this ruining what we've got at the moment, I am too. But...isn't it worth the risk?" He said.

Lorelai smiled and wiped some dampness from her eyes. "Yeah." She said softly. "Yeah I think it is." She said knowing this is what she wanted. Hearing Luke making that speech made her heart beat fast and she knew then and there that she wanted to try this.

"Yeah?" Luke said letting out a relieved breath.

"Yeah."

Luke smiled. "Ok then."

Lorelai laughed slightly. "Ok then."

"So...I guess I'll see you tomorrow? We can..uh..sort something out then?" He suggested.

"Sounds good." She said.

"Ok good." He smiled. "Night Lorelai." He said softly.

"Night Luke." She said softly before hanging up. That giddy smile appeared back on her face as she snuggled down in her bed to go to sleep.

* * *

Lorelai was walking towards the diner with Rory the following morning. She glanced across the road and caught Luke's eye through the window. She found herself blushing slightly.

"So...I'm guessing you've made your mind up..." Rory said noticing the exchange.

Lorelai ducked her head slightly. "We spoke last night and...yeah...we want to try. I want to try." She admitted.

Rory smiled. "Well, I'm happy for you." She said. "I have to go catch the bus but details later ok?" She said.

"Of course." She smiled. "See you later, sweets."

"Bye." Rory smiled before walking off towards the bus station.

Lorelai glanced across through the window again and smiled as she saw Luke behind the counter. She stepped off the sidewalk and started to cross the road when suddenly she heard Taylor shout from infront of Doose's.

"Lorelai, watch out!" He shouted, his eyes widening as he saw the car speeding round the corner.

Lorelai turned her head just in time to see the car speeding right towards her. Her eyes widened but before she could react, she felt herself being lifted off the ground and she banged her head against the front window and then was thrown onto the ground.

Everyone around was in shock having witnessed what had just happened. Taylor rushed over to where she was lying on the ground, not moving.

"Lorelai!" Luke shouted as he ran out of the diner towards her.

"Mom!" A heartbreaking cry pierced through the square.

**So I hope you liked it! I'm really looking forward to reinventing this story so I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think by dropping me a review. I really appreciate all of your support so thank you. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all your support so far! I really do appreciate it. :) I'm really excited about redoing this so I hope you enjoy it too. :)**

Chapter 2

Luke looked over at saw Rory running over from the bus stop and knew he couldn't let her witness her mom lying on the floor. He got up quickly and tried to shield Rory from seeing the scene infront of him.

"Mom!" Rory cried, trying to get out of Luke's grip.

"She's got a pulse. It's weak, but she's got one." Taylor said, having knelt down next to Lorelai.

Rory managed to get out of Luke's grip and got past him. She ran forward and knelt down next to her mom. "Mom, please, wake up! Open your eyes! Mom!" She exclaimed.

Luke blinked tears away as he glanced around at the crowd that was forming. "Has anyone called an ambulance?" He shouted.

"I have. It's on its way." Taylor said. "We shouldn't move her until they get here."

Luke nodded. He saw Kirk standing close. "Kirk, I have a job for you." He said.

"Of course. What can I do?" He said.

"Go to the inn and tell Sookie what has happened. She will want to know." He said.

Kirk nodded and rushed off just as sirens were heard and an ambulance arrived on the scene. Two paramedic got out and rushed over to Lorelai.

"She will be ok, won't she? Why isn't she waking up?" Rory cried. "Please tell me she will be ok!" She pleaded.

One of the paramedics smiled at her kindly. "We will take good care of your mom, I promise." She said. "We need to get her onto the ambulance. Would you like to ride with us?" She asked.

"I..uh..I...I don't know..." Rory stammered.

Luke could see she was getting into a state and glanced around. He was relieved when he saw Sookie sprinting towards them.

"Luke!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening at the sight of her best friend. "What happened? Is she ok? Is she going to be ok?"

"Sookie, I need you to stay calm." Luke said softly.

"But...Lorelai!" Sookie exclaimed.

"I need you to stay calm. Please." Luke said subtly gesturing towards Rory.

Sookie suddenly understood and took a deep breath. "What do you need from me?"

"Can you go in the ambulance with her? I'll follow behind with Rory." He said.

Sookie blinked back tears but nodded. "Of course." She said.

"Thank you." He said gratefully. He watched with a lump in his throat as Lorelai was taken onto the ambulance and driven off. He turned to Rory. "Are you ready?" He asked softly.

"I can't." Rory said shaking her head.

"Rory..."

"What if she dies? What if she doesn't wake up? She's all I've got!" Rory said her voice cracking, tears running down her face.

Luke sighed. "Your mom's tough. She can get through this. I know she can." He tried to reassure her.

Rory sniffed. "I'm sorry. All I'm thinking about is myself. You care about her as much as I do..." She said quietly.

Luke swallowed the lump in his throat that had formed. "She's your mom. Of course this is going to shake you. But..we should get to the hospital. Then we can find out what's happening. You'll just torture yourself with the what is otherwise."

Rory took a big shaky breath and nodded. "Ok." She said.

"Come on, my truck's round the corner." He said softly, placing a hand on her back to gently lead her.

"Wait!" Rory suddenly said. "What about school?"

"I'm sure they will understand. I'll give them a ring if you want." Luke assured her.

Rory just nodded. She glanced at him with tears in her eyes. "She will be ok, won't she?"

"Your mom wouldn't leave you for anything. I know that much." He said. "Come on, let's go." He said softly.

* * *

They rushed into the hospital to find Sookie pacing around the waiting room.

"Sookie!" Luke exclaimed rushing forward.

"Oh hey!" She said. "They've taken her through to emergency surgery. They said they would come back when they had any news so you're to wait here." She told them. "I..uh..I also called Lorelai's parents. I thought they would want to be here." She said hesitantly. "I know they don't have the best relationship but she's been seeing them more recently so I just thought..."

"No, you're right. They should know." Luke said. "Thank you for coming with her, Sookie." He said sincerely.

"Of course." She said. She glanced at Rory and then back at Luke. "I'll give you guys some space but please...can you keep me updated?" She asked.

"Of course." Luke promised. He knew how close Sookie and Lorelai were. "I'll call you as soon as we hear any news."

"Thank you." Sookie smiled shakily. She glanced at Rory and took hold of her hands. "Now, you try not to worry ok? Your mom's a fighter. She'll get through this." She said.

Rory wiped away some tears but nodded. "Thanks Sookie." She said softly.

"You need anything, you call me ok?" Sookie said.

Rory nodded and hugged her tightly. "I will."

Sookie nodded and gave them a small smile before leaving.

Rory saw that Luke had gone and sat down in one of the chairs. She watched as he put his head in his hands. She slowly walked over to him and sat down next to him. "Still not a fan of hospitals huh?" She said quietly.

Luke glanced at her and chuckled slightly. "I really hate hospitals." He admitted.

"Me too." She sighed. "I remember being here when my Grandpa was rushed here. I just felt useless not being able to do anything..."

"I know the feeling." He said quietly.

Rory glanced at him and felt sorry for him. She knew he had lost his parents when he was young. "I'm sorry..."

"What? Oh no, Rory, you have nothing to be sorry for." Luke assured her.

"This must bring back bad memories for you. And twice you've been here just so we're not alone..." She said quietly.

"I want to be here for you." He said softly. "For...your mom..."

Rory blinked back tears. "She was so happy, you know..."

"What do you mean?"

"This morning, she was practically giddy about coming to the diner to see you. I barely had time to get dressed before she was pushing me out of the door." Rory smiled slightly.

Luke ducked his head slightly. He glanced at her. "She said she spoke to you about...us..." He said awkwardly.

Rory nodded. "Yeah...I told her to be sure." She said hesitantly. "It's nothing against you." She said quickly. "I just...you've been there for us through everything. If this doesn't work, it wouldn't just be you losing her..." She said quietly, glancing down at the floor.

"Hey..." He said softly. "I will always be here for you ok? No matter what happens, whatever you need, I'll always be here for you."

Rory gave him a small smile. "I know." She said softly. "Thank you."

"Family of Lorelai Gilmore?" A doctor suddenly said.

"Is she ok?" Rory asked standing up.

"You're her daughter?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah. Is she ok?" She asked again.

"I'm afraid we are still waiting on some test results at the moment and she is still in surgery. She's broken her leg pretty badly so that is what we are trying to repair at the moment. " The doctor said. "She may have some internal bleeding as well so we are currently checking that as well. The CT scan results will tell us how severe her head trauma is. I'm afraid it might be a while until we get you those results but I promise to keep you updated throughout the day."

Luke heard Rory gasp slightly. He took a steady breath himself. "Is she going to be ok? Do you think she can get through it? I mean, her leg can heal right?"

"Yes, if we are able to repair the fractures, her leg should fully recover with lots of physiotherapy." The doctor nodded. "Regarding your other questions, I'm afraid I can't tell you that yet. It is early days and I'd rather see the results of the scans and tests first as this was a very serious accident. I'm sorry I can't give you the answers you want. I promise I will be back when I know more."

"Ok. Thank you." Luke said, feeling numb. He glanced at Rory and saw tears falling down her cheeks again and knew he had to stay strong for her. "Rory..." He said softly.

"This is serious, isn't it? She's in a critical condition..." She sniffed.

"Hey, come here." He said holding his arms out.

Without hesitation, Rory stepped forward and hugged him tightly, taking some comfort in his embrace.

"She'll be ok. She's a fighter." Luke said softly.

"She has to be ok. I can't lose her..." Rory said quietly.

"I should go call Sookie. I promised her..." He said hesitantly, not wanting to leave her. "Do you mind if I go outside for a minute to do it?"

"Oh yeah, you should call her. She should know." She said.

"Will you be ok for a minute?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'll be ok. Go. You should let Sookie know what's happening."

Luke nodded and headed outside, leaving Rory in the waiting room. She wiped away her tears yet again and sat back down. She couldn't believe this was happening. This morning, she and her mom were joking around. They were laughing together and now...now she may never hear her mom laugh again. She couldn't lose her. She just couldn't. She looked up to see a boy similar to her age sitting across from her. He smiled sympathetically at her so she returned the action.

"Is it your mom in here?" He asked.

"Uh..yeah.." She said.

"I know how you feel. My dad's in surgery right now. It wasn't looking good..." He sighed.

"I'm sorry." Rory said quietly.

The boy sighed. "It sucks, doesn't it?"

Rory nodded and blinked back tears. "Yeah, it does..."

"I'm Ollie, by the way." He said.

"Rory." She said.

"Well...I should go call my grandparents. I hope your mom's ok." He smiled kindly at her.

"Thanks. I hope your dad is too." She said.

"Thanks. Maybe I'll see you round?"

"Yeah. Maybe." Rory gave him a small smile before watching him leave the waiting room.

Meanwhile, outside, Luke was leaning against the wall, taking a moment after the call to Sookie. He could feel tears pricking his eyes. He had been so happy this morning. He couldn't wait to start something up with Lorelai. It was something he had wanted for so long and it was finally happening. And now he may not be able to hear her voice ever again. He took a big shaky breath. "Pull yourself together, Danes." He mumbled. He took another deep breath before heading back inside. He needed to stay strong for Rory. She needed him right now. He grabbed some food and some drinks on his way back. He found Rory still sat in the waiting room. "Hey, so since we will probably be here a while, I figured we'd need something to eat." He said handing over some snacks from a vending machine.

Rory smiled slightly. "You're really going to eat this stuff?" She asked.

Luke chuckled slightly. "Well, it would be quite a tale to tell your mom, wouldn't you?"

Rory laughed slightly. "Yeah, it would. She wouldn't believe you." She smirked.

Luke smiled. "Probably not."

She sighed and glanced at him. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being here." She said quietly.

"Of course. I wouldn't be anywhere else." He said.

Rory sighed and leant her head against his shoulder. "I just wish they'd hurry up and tell us she's going to be ok..." She said quietly.

Luke sighed and put his arm round her. "Me too." He said. "Me too."

**So I hope you liked it! Now I'm not a medical expert so I'm sorry if some things weren't completely accurate, please be kind! :P Let me know what you think! :) Thanks again for your support, it really does mean so much to me. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for all your support, it really does mean a lot. :) Here's the next chapter. :)**

Chapter 3

Emily and Richard rushed into the hospital and stopped when they saw Rory sat with Luke, her head leaning on his shoulder. "What is the diner man doing here?" She said.

"Well...he's a friend of Lorelai's isn't it? He probably drove Rory here so she wasn't alone." Richard said.

"Hmm.." Emily said.

"Come on, let's go find out what's happening." He said leading her over. "Rory!" He said.

Rory looked up. "Grandma! Grandpa!" She said hugging them.

Emily could see the tears in her granddaughter's eyes and started worrying about the extent of this accident. "Hi Rory." She said softly, hugging her tightly.

"Is there any news?" Richard asked.

"I..uh.." Rory said looking at Luke for support.

Luke stepped forward. "A doctor just came out. He said that she was still in surgery as they were trying to repair her leg that she had broken pretty badly. They're worried she may have some internal bleeding so they're checking that as well. They're also waiting for some test and scans results which will tell us how severe her head trauma is." He said. "They said it might be a while until we know more."

Emily and Richard stared at him in stunned silence. They hadn't realised it had been this bad. Their daughter was in a critical condition. She may not even come back from this. "Ok, well thank you." Emily found her voice. "We can handle this now so you may go." She told Luke.

"Oh..uh..forgive Mrs Gilmore, but I'd quite like to stay." Luke said.

"Only family should be here. We appreciate you staying with Rory until we got here but we are here now so she can come stay with us until her mom is better." She said.

"Oh..Grandma..." Rory said.

"Actually, I was going to offer to stay with Rory if she wanted me to." Luke said.

"Seriously?" Emily said looking at him in disdain.

"Yeah, really?" Rory asked him surprised.

"Well...I figured you might want to stay in Stars Hollow and I know you can legally stay home by yourself but I know your mom probably wouldn't like that so I was thinking maybe I could stay with you at yours or you could come stay at the apartment." He said. "I mean, I get if you don't want to. I know it would probably be weird for you."

"Of course it would be weird! Rory does not want to stay with a random man!" Emily exclaimed. "She needs her family and that is us. Now I'd like you to leave now." She said.

"Grandma, Luke is not just a random man!" Rory spoke up.

"Rory..." Luke said.

"No. She can't speak to you like you're nothing." Rory said. "Grandma, mom and Luke belong together. I know it, the whole town knows it and finally they know it!" She said.

"Rory..." He sighed.

"What do you mean?" Emily's eyes narrowed.

Rory hesitated and glanced at Luke, sending him an apologetic look. "Grandma, mom and Luke had agreed to start something..."

"You mean dating?" She said in disgust.

"Yeah." Rory said quietly. "But...they didn't actually get that far because...well...because this happened." She said, sniffing slightly. "I really appreciate you offering me somewhere to stay but...Luke isn't just a random man. He's been in our life for like ever. And I..uh..I would quite like to stay in Stars Hollow. Lane's there and Sookie's there..." She said. She glanced at Luke. "I guess it would be a little weird but...if you're sure...I think I'd like to take you up on the offer."

"Of course." Luke said.

"Rory..." Emily tried.

"Grandma, please. I...I can't cope with all this at the moment." She said quietly.

"Fine." She said stiffly.

"Why don't we all sit down and wait for some more news?" Richard suggested.

Rory gave him a grateful look and sat back down. She glanced at Luke who sat down next to her. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"It's what your mom would want." He shrugged.

"Yeah..." She said quietly.

Luke glanced at her. "Rory, I care about you. I want to make sure you're ok. That's why I offered." He said.

Rory gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

Richard glanced next to him at his wife who was watching Rory and Luke's interaction. "Emily, he cares about Rory. We all care about Rory. Let it go."

Emily huffed but didn't say anything.

* * *

A few hours passed and Emily and Richard were leaning against each other in their seats for support. Rory was leaning back in her seat while Luke was leaning forward with his head in his hands.

"Uh...family of Lorelai Gilmore?" A voice suddenly said.

They all looked up and jumped up when they saw a doctor standing there. "How is she?" Emily said immediately.

"She's out of surgery." The doctor said. "The orthopaedic surgeons were able to repair her leg. We will have to wait until the swelling goes down to see if any further surgery is required but with physiotherapy, her leg could recover fully. Her organs are all fine and there doesn't seem to be any internal bleeding and she seems to be breathing easily by herself which is good. But there is some bad news..." He said.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Luke said.

"Well when we put her in recovery to let the anaesthesia and initial shock of surgery wear off, we discovered her head trauma was much more serious than just a concussion." He said.

"What does that mean?" Rory said shakily.

"There are signs of activity in her brain which is good but despite our best intentions, she has fallen into a coma and we don't know when or if she will wake up. I'm very sorry." The doctor said sympathetically.

"No..." Rory said quietly, tears falling down her cheeks.

Richard squeezed Emily's hand as he heard her gasp besides him. He glanced over and was shocked to see Luke collapsing onto a chair. "Are you ok?" He asked.

Rory glanced over at Luke and was stunned to see tears falling down Luke's face. She had never seen him like this before. "Luke?"

Luke felt numb. The woman he loved was in a coma. They had been so close. Today they were meant to be planning their first date. Today was meant to be a happy day, the start of something new and exciting, but instead he was sat here having to hear a doctor tell him she might die. Why did this keep happening to him? Why did he keep losing everyone who meant anything to him? It wasn't fair.

"Luke?" Rory repeated, sitting down hesitantly next to him. "Are you ok?" She asked.

This brought Luke out of his trance. It was then he realised his face felt damp. He wiped his tears away quickly, embarrassed that they had witnessed his mini breakdown.

"Are you ok?" Rory asked again.

Luke glanced at her. "I should be asking you that." He said gruffly.

"Come on, Luke, we all know mom means as much to you as she does to you." She said quietly. "You don't have to be strong for me."

"I do." He said. "Your mom would want me to be."

"She would want us to look out for each other." Rory said. "I know how hard this must be for you..."

Luke sighed. "You're an amazing kid, you know that right? Your mom is so proud of you, don't ever forget that."

Rory felt more tears fall. "She could die, couldn't she?" She said her voice cracking.

"Hey, come here." He said pulling her into a hug. "Your mom's a fighter. She will get through this."

"How do you know?" She sniffed.

"Because who else is going to drive my life crazy otherwise?" Luke said.

Rory laughed slightly through her tears. "Noone springs to mind." She said.

"She'll be ok." He assured her although he knew he was trying reassure himself as well.

The doctor then came back to say they could go in and sit with Lorelai but they could only go in pairs. Emily and Richard went in first. Rory watched them go. "I..uh..I'm going to give Lane a call and then I'll be right back." She told Luke.

"Ok." He nodded. "I'll call Sookie."

Rory nodded and got up, walking outside. She had a quick call with Lane but didn't stay on the phone too long because she couldn't handle talking about her mom in this condition for too long. She headed back inside and tried getting some coffee from a machine but it wasn't accepting her money. "Urgh, accept it! WHy won't you accept it?" She exclaimed, hitting the machine, fresh tears falling from her eyes.

"Oh...sorry..." A voice said.

Rory wiped her tears quickly and turned to see Ollie standing there, the boy she had met earlier that day. "Sorry..." She said embarrassed.

"Don't apologise." He said. "I'm..uh..guessing you got news you didn't want?" He said cautiously.

Rory felt tears fall again for the umpteenth time. "My mom's in a coma..."

"Oh geez, I'm so sorry." Ollie said.

"I should go..." She said.

"Hey, if you ever need anyone to talk to..." He offered.

Rory glanced at him. "Uh..thanks...but..uh..I hardly know you." She said.

"I know." He nodded. "But I know how you're feeling. My dad...well, he's in the same position as your mom..." He admitted.

"Oh god, I...I'm so sorry..." She said.

"I know it's weird me offering you a shoulder to cry on when we've only just met and I know you probably have lots of family and friends around you but...well, I'm going to be around here quite a lot. If you want to talk to something who knows what you're going through. My dad is everything to me. He raised me singlehandedly. He's all I've got. Maybe I'm just being selfish..." He sighed. "I've not got much family. It would be nice to talk to someone." He admitted.

Rory sighed. "I'm sorry about your dad." She said sincerely. "My mom raised me by herself as well so...she's everything I've got as well." She admitted.

Ollie nodded. "This sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it really does." She said quietly just as someone coughed behind them. "Oh...hey Luke..." She said seeing Luke standing awkwardly behind them.

"Sorry..I didn't mean to interrupt." He said awkwardly gesturing between them.

"I should get going." Ollie said. "Maybe I will see you around?"

Rory nodded. "Maybe." She said and the she watched him walk off.

"Sorry." Luke said. "But your grandparents are out so if you want to go and see your mom..."

"Yeah." She said. "Let's go." She gave him a small smile.

* * *

A few minutes later, Rory and Luke were both sat in Lorelai's room. Rory glanced at Luke. "Do you think she can hear us?" She asked.

Luke glanced over at her. "Sure." He nodded. "You should try talking to her."

Rory looked back at her mom and took hold of her hand. "Mom?" She said quietly. "Mom, can you hear me? It's Rory..." She said, searching her mom's face for any sign of recognition but her eyes stayed shut. She felt tears fall again. "God, I feel like I've cried enough today to fill the lake in Stars Hollow..." She sniffed. She glanced at her mom. "Mom, you need to wake up. Please. I need you. I love you so much. Please...just wake up soon." She begged. She wiped away her tears and glanced over at Luke who was holding her mom's other hand, focusing on the floor. "I..uh..I'm just going to try and see if I can get some coffee." She said. She leant over and kissed her mom's cheek. "I'll be back, mom." She said, before leaving, wanting to give Luke some privacy.

Luke looked up and looked at Lorelai's. "Geez, Lorelai, you always have a way to break me down." He said gruffly. "Before I met you, I wouldn't talk to anyone about my feelings and then...you appeared and you seem to have a knack of getting people to talk and to open up." He said. He blinked back some tears which threatened to fall. "Lorelai, you need to wake up. Rory needs you and goddamn it, Lorelai, I need you as well. I'm not even afraid to admit it anymore. I can't lose you, not now, not when we finally agreed to try giving us a chance. I...I love you. I have ever since I met you that very first day when you came bursting into the diner demanding coffee and annoying the hell out of me." He said chuckling slightly. He sighed when he saw her eyes were still closed. "You have to wake up." He said his voice cracking. "You need to fight this. Promise me, you'll fight this. I know you can hear me because you wouldn't be you if you couldn't. So please, Lorelai, I am begging you to fight this. Fight for Rory and your parents, who I'm pretty sure hate my guts, and...fight for me, for us. Because I can't cope without you in my life. Please, Lorelai, please wake up." He cried, finally letting him emotions take over. He leant over and kissed her forehead. "You have to wake up..." He whispered.

Just outside, Rory was sat on the floor leaning against the floor, sobbing. She had tried to stay strong but hearing Luke's speech just broke her. Hearing the strongest man she knew break down like he did, just got to her. He was being so strong for her and he was suffering as much as she was. She didn't know how much more she could take. It had been less than a day and she already missed her mom so much. How was she going to get through this?

**So I hoped you liked it! Please let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews and I really appreciate you taking the time to leave them so thank you! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much for all your support and reviews! I really am so grateful to all of you. :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 4

Rory wiped her tears and slowly got up and started heading towards the waiting room. She found her grandparents collecting their belongings and getting up. "Are you leaving?" She asked.

"We have to go make some calls and have to see to some plans." Emily told her.

"Oh...ok." Rory said, not being able to understand how they could even think about other things right now.

"We will come back later if we can. If not, we will be back tomorrow." Richard said.

"Ok." She said quietly, sitting down in one of the seats.

"Call us if you need anything or if you change your mind about staying at ours." Emily said.

"Thanks but I won't." Rory mumbled.

Emily blinked slightly at her granddaughter's tone but bit her tongue. "Ok..well, bye Rory."

"Yeah bye." She said. She sighed as she watched them leave. She didn't even care if she was rude. She couldn't understand how they could just carry on with their life while their daughter was lying in one these rooms in a coma. She pulled out her cell. There was one person she wanted to call, that she felt like she should call. She dialled a number and waited. _I'm sorry but the number you have called is unavailable. _"Figures." She mumbled. The one time she needed her dad's support and there was no way to get in touch with him. She then rang another number. "Dean?" She said.

"Rory? I heard about your mom. How is she?" He asked.

"Not good. She's..uh..she's in a coma." Rory sniffed.

"Oh god. Rory, I'm so sorry." Dean said. "If there's anything you need, just call me ok?"

"Can..uh..do you think you can come?" She asked quietly.

"Oh..uh.." He said hesitantly.

"What?"

"I just figured you'd want some space..." He said.

"From you?" She said confused.

"I just..." Dean said sighing. "I don't know. I don't want to overcrowd you. I know how hard this must be for you."

"Fine." Rory said.

"Rory..."

"No, it's fine. Don't come." She said. Why did no one seem to care about her mom?

"Rory, I'll come, it's fine."

"No, don't put yourself out." She snapped. "I'm fine."

"Rory, I'm sorry..."

"It's fine, Dean. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She said before hanging up. She let out an exasperated groan and threw her phone at the wall opposite her.

"What did the phone do to you?" A voice said.

Rory looked up to see that Luke had reappeared. She watched as he picked it up and handed it to her. She sighed. "It's not the phone. Just...people." She said.

"Ah." He said not prying anymore. He glanced around. "Where are your grandparents?"

"Gone home. Apparently they've got plans." Rory said bitterly.

Luke glanced at her. "Oh. Ok." He said. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to head home for a bit..." He asked.

"Why?" Rory said, her heart dropping. Surely Luke couldn't be giving up on mom as well?

"I thought maybe you'd want to shower or something. Maybe get some sleep if we're going to be here overnight." Luke said.

"You'll stay with me?" She said, letting out a breath.

Luke looked at her weirdly. "You think I'd leave you alone when you're going through something like this? When your mom's here?" He said.

Rory gave him a sheepish smile. "No. Sorry, no, I don't think you'd do that. I guess..." She said sighing. "People have been letting me down today but you never do so I shouldn't have ever thought that you would. Sorry." She said.

Luke glanced at her and just nodded. "Ok then." He said. "Look, we can head back to yours, you can have a shower and a nap if you want, I can make us some food and then we can head back here. How does that sound?"

Rory smiled. "Yeah, sounds good." She said softly.

"Ok good." He said. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah. Just..uh..let me say bye to mom first." She said.

"Of course." Luke said softly.

Rory smiled at him and headed to her mom's room. She sat down next to her and took hold of her hand. "Mom, I'm just heading home with Luke for a little bit but I promise I'll be back later ok?" She said, kissing her mom's cheek. She was about to leave when she leant in. "Hey mom?" She said softly. "You picked a good one this time. Luke's offered to stay with me until you're better. He...he's being great." She smiled slightly. "So..you need to wake up soon ok? So you can see just what a good decision you've made this time." She said. "Ok, I need to go now. But I'll be back later. I love you mom." She said giving her another kiss before leaving the room.

* * *

Rory came out of her bedroom later that evening to see Luke cooking in the kitchen. She watched him for a moment. He moved around their kitchen so naturally, it was like he'd always cooked there. "What are you making?" She asked.

"Oh hey! Did you sleep?" He asked.

"A little bit." Rory said.

Luke nodded. "Good." He said. "I'm making lasagne. I know you and your mom liked pasta so I thought..."

Rory smiled. "I love lasagne." She said.

"Ok good." He said. "Well, it should be ready in a minute."

"Ok." Rory said. "Hey, do you think the hospital will let us stay overnight with mom? Don't they have visiting times?"

"I'm not sure." Luke admitted. "I guess, since it's the first night, they might make an exception. I'm sure it will be fine." He said.

She nodded. "Ok."

Luke glanced at her. "How are you doing?" He asked.

Rory shrugged. "I don't really know." She admitted.

Luke nodded. "I get that. When my dad was in hospital, I didn't really know how to feel either." He admitted.

She glanced at him. Luke never really spoke about his parents. "Were you there alone?" She asked cautiously.

He nodded. "It was too much for Liz to handle so it was only me."

"Wow, that must have been so hard for you..." She said quietly.

"I had to be there. He was my dad. I was all he had." Luke sighed.

Rory nodded. "You remember that boy I was talking to earlier at the hospital?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"His dad's in the hospital. He's in a coma as well like mom..." Rory sighed.

"Poor kid." Luke said.

"Yeah..." She said quietly. "He was just offering me someone to talk to if I needed to. You know, someone who was in the same situation as me..." She said.

"That's nice." He said.

"Yeah." She said.

"Right, it's ready. Let's eat up." Luke smiled softly at her, plating up the lasagne.

Rory smiled softly at him as she watched him plating it up and then handing her a plate. "Thanks." She said as she tucked into the food.

* * *

The following morning, Rory was walking back from the canteen when her phone rang. She frowned at the unfamiliar number. "Hello?" She answered.

"Gilmore?" A familiar voice said.

"Paris?" She said surprised.

"Yes, it's me. I..uh..heard about your mom." She said.

"Oh..uh.." Rory didn't really know what to say. She knew Luke had called the school but she didn't realise the whole school would know.

"I'm...sorry." Paris said.

"Oh..uh..thanks Paris." Rory said shocked.

"Do you remember when I pulled that stunt when I saw your mom kissing Mr Medina?" She said.

"Uh..yeah.." She said confused as to why Paris was bringing that up.

"Well...you said afterwards that if I ever needed to talk, I could talk to you..."

"Yeah. I meant that." Rory said.

"Well..uh..I guess this is just me returning the favour." She said awkwardly.

"Oh. Ok."

"I know I'm not good with this emotional crap but I know you and your mom are freakishly close. So...if you need to talk..." Paris said.

Rory smiled. "Thanks Paris. I really appreciate that." She said softly.

"And..uh..I can get your work for you if you want so you don't fall behind." She offered.

"That would be great." Rory said relieved.

"Yeah, well, what fun would it be defeating you if you didn't get a fair chance?" Paris said.

Rory laughed slightly. At least Paris was still the same Paris. "I guess that's true." She said.

"I'll leave you to it. I just wanted to call you to let you know that..."

"Well I really appreciate it. Thanks Paris. Really." She said sincerely.

"Ok." Paris said. "Well, bye then."

"Bye." Rory smiled softly before hanging up.

"Someone looks a bit happier..." A voice said.

Rory looked up to see Ollie walking towards. "Oh hey..."

"Hey." He said. "How's your mom? Is she any better?"

Rory's smile faded. "No. No change." She said.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I just saw you smiling and thought..." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok. That was just...well, someone surprising me, that's all. I didn't think we were friends but I guess...maybe things can change." She shrugged.

"People can change." He nodded. "I guess it's times like these that you really find out who your true friends are."

Rory smiled, thinking about how Lane had been texting her nonstop and Sookie had rung as well and then that call with Paris. "Yeah, I guess that's true." She said. "How's your dad?" She asked.

"Still the same." Ollie sighed.

"Sorry." She said. She sighed as she thought of her mom lying in her bed and she felt tears threatening again. "Sorry, you'd think I'd be all cried out." She joked.

Ollie smiled sympathetically. "It can get you when you least expect it. Don't apologise." He said. "Come here." He said giving her a hug. "I'm sure your mom will get through this."

"Yeah." She let out a sigh, wiping away her tears. "Yeah, I hope so."

"She will. Just like my dad will. No point thinking the worst huh until it happens." He said. "That's my motto."

Rory glanced at him. "Are you here on your own?" She asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I..uh..I lost my mom when I was young and my grandparents live far away. I haven't got any other family."

"I'm sorry. That must be so hard for you..." She said, thinking how alike to Luke he was.

"Yeah, well...he's all I've got." Ollie shrugged.

"Hey, why don't we meet up later and go to the canteen together? We can chat if you like?" Rory suggested. "Only if you want..."

"Yeah." He smiled. "That would be cool. I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other around here anyway..."

"Yeah, I guess so." She said. "Might as well get to know each other..."

"That would be nice." He smiled softly.

"Ok cool." Rory said.

"Rory..." A voice said.

She turned round. "Dean..." She said surprised.

"I'll catch you later." Ollie said, patting her on the arm before walking off.

"What are you doing here?" Rory asked Dean.

"You said you wanted me to come..." He said.

"Yeah...yesterday." Rory said.

"I told you, I thought you would want to be by yourself yesterday!" He defended himself.

"When my mom is lying in a coma?" Rory exclaimed.

"I...I don't know...I thought I was doing the right thing..." He sighed.

Rory sighed. "I needed you yesterday." She said.

"I'm sorry." He said. "But I'm here now..."

She sighed. "I guess so..."

"How is your mom?"

"No change." She said quietly.

"I'm sorry." Dean said. "Who was that guy?"

"Who?"

"The guy you were chatting to."

"Oh, Ollie." Rory said.

"Ollie?"

Rory looked at him. "Yeah. Ollie." She said.

"Why was he talking to you?" He asked.

"Because he was asking how my mom was." Rory replied.

"Why would he care though?"

"Why do you care?" Rory frowned.

"I don't! I just...isn't a little weird that a random guy is taking an interest in your mom suddenly?" Dean said.

"What are you trying to say?" She said.

"I'm not. I just, he's obviously seen you upset and thinks he can get in there with you. Act like a sympathetic stranger and then..."

"And then what?" Rory said angrily. "What are you exactly trying to say here, Dean?"

Dean sighed. "Nothing." He said. "I'm sorry."

"For your information, not that it is any of your business, Ollie's dad is in a coma as well and we met yesterday and started talking. We're both in the same situation so I'm not going to apologise for talking to him when he's only trying to be nice." Rory snapped.

"Ok. I'm sorry." Dean said. "Really. I'm sorry."

"Fine." Rory said crossing her arms. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

He sighed. "Yeah..."

"Then maybe you should go."

"Rory..."

Rory sighed. "Look, Dean, I don't want to fight. I can't cope with us fighting as well as everything else. I'm exhausted and I...I don't know what's going to happen with my mom so please..."

"Ok." He said. "I'll go. But please...I really am sorry. Call me if you need anything ok?" He said sincerely.

Rory sighed but nodded. "Yeah I'll call." She relented.

"Ok." He said giving her a kiss. "Speak later then?"

"Yeah, speak later." She said quietly before watching him walk away. She finally made it back to her mom's room. "Sorry, I got waylaid." She told Luke.

"Everything ok?" Luke asked concerned, seeing the tear stains on her face.

"I'm fine. I bumped into Ollie and then Dean showed up, that's all." She said.

"Ok." He said glancing at her. He realised she didn't want to say anymore so he didn't ask. "I was telling your mom how you ate some salad last night." He said smirking slightly.

Rory smirked. "She's going to kill you when she wakes up." She said.

Luke chuckled. "Maybe so."

Rory smirked. She glanced at her mom. "Don't worry, mom, I promise Luke won't turn me into a healthy eater like him." She joked.

"Yet." Luke interjected.

"No, ever!" Rory laughed.

"We'll see about that." Luke chuckled.

Rory laughed. "See what I have to put up with, mom? You need to wake up so you can save me from Luke's salad!" She joked.

Luke watched her, smiling, glad to see a smile on her face again even if it is probably just for a short time. He leant back in his chair and let Rory speak to Lorelai for a bit. If it made Rory laugh to make fun of him to Lorelai, then he would let her. He just hoped soon Lorelai would be able to banter with her back.

**So I hope you liked it! :) Please let me know what you think! I really do appreciate all your support and reviews so thank you again! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delay in updating. It's been a crazy week at work and then I was away this weekend so haven't had any time to write. Thank you for all your support for this story! Hope you enjoy this next chapter. :)**

Chapter 5

It had been a few days since Lorelai had been involved in the accident and had gone into the coma and she still hadn't woken up yet. Rory was walking towards the diner from the bus station. She had taken a couple of days off school but Luke had encouraged her to go back so she didn't fall behind with the promise that he would call her if there was any change at all at the hospital. She was walking past Doose's when suddenly Dean came out. She hadn't spoken to him since the day he came to the hospital. "Oh..hey..." He said hesitantly.

"Hey." Rory said quietly.

"How's your mom?" Dean asked.

"No change." She said.

Dean sighed. "Ok...well I'll just leave you to it..." He said starting to walk off.

"Dean wait!" Rory called. She sighed. "I'm sorry." She said.

"What? No, you don't have to be sorry." Dean said.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did. I just...my head was all over the place. I guess it still is really but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. So I'm sorry." She said.

"It's ok." He gave her a small smile. "And I'm sorry too. I should have come and supported you that first day. I just...I guess I didn't want to get in the way." He admitted.

"It's ok." Rory gave him a small smile.

"So...we're ok?" He checked.

Rory smiled. "We're ok." She said softly.

Dean let out a breath. "Ok, good." He smiled. "Where are you heading?"

"Luke's. I'm going to grab something to eat and then Luke's going to drive me to the hospital to see mom." She said.

"Oh ok. Well, I'll leave you to it." He said.

"Why don't you come and grab something to eat with me?" Rory said.

Dean glanced at her. "Yeah?"

Rory smiled. "It would be nice to catch up."

Dean smiled. "Ok yeah. Yeah I can come."

"Ok good." She said. "Hey Dean?"

"Yeah?"

Rory stepped forward and kissed him. "I've missed doing that." She joked.

Dean chuckled. "I've missed it too." He said, taking hold of her hand and walking towards the diner with her.

* * *

A week had passed and Lorelai still hadn't woken up. Rory and Luke had gotten in a routine of some sort. Luke would go and see Lorelai in the morning and then work at the diner during the day until Rory would get there after school and then they would both go to the hospital together. Sometimes Rory would go by herself after school if Luke had to close the diner. They were splitting their time between the diner and the Crap Shack. Luke was adamant that Rory should sleep in her own bed some nights to have some sort of normality. If he had to close the diner though, Rory would study downstairs and watch him close before they would both head upstairs. Luke had given up his bed to Rory while he slept on the couch. He would also sleep on the couch at the Crap Shack. Rory had pointed out there was a free bed upstairs but Luke felt uncomfortable sleeping in Lorelai's bed while she was there and especially since they hadn't even had their first date yet. Rory had made a good friend in Ollie while she was at the hospital visiting her mom. He had even come round for some food the odd night. Luke didn't think he would ever be ok with Rory being friends with boys, he still wasn't too sure about Dean, but he did acknowledge that Ollie had been a good friend to Rory. It was nice for her to have someone to talk to who was in the same situation as her.

One evening, Rory was sat next to her mom when she heard movement behind her. "Grandpa?" She said surprised. She was pretty sure her Grandpa hadn't visited since the first day.

"Hello Rory. I hope you don't mind me intruding." He said hesitantly.

"No, not at all. Is Grandma with you?" She asked.

"Oh..uh..no. Didn't Luke call you?" He asked.

"No?" She frowned. "Why? Is everything ok?"

"Oh yes! He just called me saying he was worried about you getting back to Stars Hollow because there's meant to be storm tonight." Richard said.

"Oh. I didn't even realise it had started raining." Rory said honestly.

"Yes. Well, Luke didn't want you getting into an accident so he rang me to ask if I could pick you up and take you back to mine." He said.

"Oh ok." She said. "That was sweet of him."

"I thought so too." Richard nodded. He glanced over at Lorelai. "How is she doing?"

"Still refusing to wake up. She's being stubborn." Rory joked.

Richard glanced at his granddaughter. He knew she was trying to lighten the mood but he could tell by her face she was exhausted and worried. "Well she did always like her sleep." He commented.

"Yeah." Rory smiled slightly at her Grandpa's attempt to play along. She sighed and leant over to kiss her mom's cheek. "I have to go now, mom. But Luke will be back in the morning and then I will be back after school. I love you." She said softly, before grabbing her stuff and following her Grandpa out.

The drive to the Gilmore Mansion was mainly quiet. Richard glanced across at his granddaughter as she stared out of the window. "So...it's going ok with you and Luke?" He asked cautiously.

Rory glanced back at him and nodded. "He's been great." She said.

"Good. That's good." Richard said.

Rory sighed. "He's been so strong for me. I know this must be killing him seeing mom like this but I haven't once seen him crack. He's just made sure that I'm ok." She said quietly, leaving out the bit about how she heard Luke breaking down that first day.

"He seems to care a lot about you." Richard said cautiously.

"Yeah." Rory smiled softly. "He's been there for us for so long. He's done so much for us, you know? And he didn't even have any obligation to but she has. We owe him a lot. I knew it was only a matter of time before they finally got together." She admitted.

Richard glanced at her, surprised that she was opening up so much. "I'm glad you have someone like him looking out for you then."

"Me too." Rory gave him a small smile. She glanced at him for a moment. "Grandpa?"

"Yes?"

"Have you and Grandma been to visit mom at all?" She asked quietly. She sighed as Richard was silent for a moment. "I'm not angry...well, I mean I was a bit at the beginning but I understand it must be a different kind of hard for you and Grandma to see mom like this. I guess you never think you'd have to visit your child in hospital..." She said.

"Yes, we definitely didn't imagine we'd ever be in this situation." Richard admitted. He sighed. "I admit, we haven't been to visit her. I've driven all the way to the hospital several times but I couldn't quite bring myself to go inside."

"Really?" Rory said surprised. "Why not?"

"I don't know." He said honestly.

"And Grandma?" She asked hesitantly.

Richard sighed. "You know your grandmother and your mother haven't exactly seen eye to eye over the years..." He said.

"Yeah..."

"I know your grandmother has wanted to visit but I think she's scared."

"Scared of what?" Rory asked quietly.

"That it will be the last time she will see your mother and all she can think about is what the last thing she said to her was. She's adamant it was some cutting remark about something or another." He sighed. "She's scared."

Rory was quiet, looking out of the window, feeling tears prick her eyes.

"I didn't mean to upset you, I'm sorry." Richard said softly.

"No, no it's not you. It's just...I feel bad for feeling so angry with you both that I didn't stop to think about what you must be going through. Just because you weren't visiting, didn't mean you weren't suffering..." She said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"No, you have nothing to be sorry about." He assured her.

Rory sniffed slightly. "Maybe we can talk to Grandma and maybe tomorrow or the next day we can all go and visit mom? Together." She said.

Richard gave her a small smile. "That sounds nice." He said softly. He glanced at his granddaughter. "Your mom is so proud of you. You know that, right?"

Rory smiled shakily. "Yeah, I know."

"You're the best thing that happened to her." He said. "And...to us. Rory, please know, you can always come to us if you need anything. I hope you know that."

She smiled at her grandfather. "Thank you, Grandpa." She said softly.

"Well...here we are. What do you say about having some food and then maybe perusing my study for a book or two?" Richard said.

Rory smiled. "That sounds good." She said. "But I need to call Luke first. To let him know I got here ok."

"Of course." He nodded. "Take all the time you need." He said as the two of them got out the car and headed towards the house.

"Thanks." She said.

* * *

Another week had passed and Rory was really feeling the toll of everything now. One Saturday, she was upstairs trying to study for an exam that she had at school the following week but she just couldn't concentrate today. She really missed her mom. It didn't help that Ollie's dad had woken up a couple of days ago. She was ecstatic for Ollie but she couldn't help thinking that it was bad news that her mom hadn't. The longer it took, the more serious it became. They still didn't know the extent of the head injury and whether she would have any brain damage. She just wished her mom would wake up. Luke had been great but she missed talking to her mom. She wandered downstairs to the diner to find Kirk sat at the counter.

"But Luke, I'm really craving it!" He whined.

"Kirk, I am not making you mashed banana on toast!" Luke exclaimed.

"But why?" He pouted.

"Because it's disgusting! That's why!" He exclaimed.

Rory smiled slightly. It kind of reminded her how Luke would argue with her mom over food. Her mom had still yet to persuade Luke to make her chilli topped pringles.

"But my mom makes it for me!"

"Then go home and ask her to and stop annoying me." He growled.

"I can make it." Rory found herself saying.

"Rory, you don't have to. Kirk is just being annoying." Luke said.

"I don't mind. It's actually quite nice." Rory said. She saw Luke looking at her questioningly. "My mom used to make it for me when I was younger." She admitted.

Luke's face softened and nodded. "Ok." He said.

Rory gave him a small smile before walking behind the counter towards the kitchen to start making it for him. After she had made it, she started helping with other orders and she found that it actually took her mind off things. She enjoyed working with Luke and it was nice to talk to all the townspeople as well. She helped out for a couple of hours before they were due to go to the hospital again. As she was refilling the coffee jug, she heard the bells on the door ring signalling that someone had come inside. "I'll be with you in a minute." She called, her back facing them.

"Wow, I didn't realise you had gotten a job..." A familiar voice said.

Rory's head whipped round. "Dad?" She said shocked.

"Hey kiddo..."

**So I hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as they really do mean so much to me. I love reading what you all think. Thank you again so much for your continued support. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm so sorry about the delay! I got ill the beginning of last week and then my mum came for a long weekend so I haven't had anytime to write. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)**

Chapter 6

"Hey..." Rory said still in shock.

"Don't I get a hug?" He said.

Rory slowly put the coffee jug down and went round the counter before giving him a hug. "What are you doing here?" She said.

"I heard about your mom. I'm surprised I didn't hear it from you..." Chris said.

Rory tensed slightly and crossed her arms against her chest. "I did. Your number was unavailable. Again." She said.

"Oh..yeah, I..uh..I've been travelling a bit and only recently got a new phone." He said looking a bit sheepish.

"Right..." She said.

"How is your mom? Is she still in hospital?" He asked.

"Still in a coma, yes." Rory said.

"Still?" He said shocked. "Your grandparents told me last weekend what had happened. I assumed she would..."

"Be ok?" Rory snapped. "No, she's not!"

"Ok kiddo, I'm sorry."

"Sorry that you weren't here for me or sorry that you've known since the weekend and didn't even try to contact me?" She said getting angry.

"Come on, kiddo..."

"No! I needed you, dad! I actually needed you for once in my life and you weren't there! It's been over two weeks and you've only just shown up. Do you know what these two weeks have been like for me?" Rory shouted.

"I'm sorry..." Chris said shocked by her outburst.

"You're always sorry." She mumbled, crossing her arms again.

"I'm here now..." He tried.

"Good for you."

"Rory..."

"No. You don't get to Rory me. Only mom gets to do that but she's not here!" Rory snapped, blinking back tears.

"Rory..." A voice said behind her.

She turned round to see Luke standing there, looking concerned. "I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to cause a scene..."

"No, it's ok. I just wanted to make sure you're ok..." He said, glancing at the man behind Rory.

"I'm fine." Rory said. "This is my dad."

"Oh. Right." Luke said, feeling himself tense up. He'd heard enough things about Chris that he didn't like. "Hey." He offered as a greeting, gruffly.

"Hey.." Chris said confused.

"I've been staying with Luke since mom's accident." Rory told her dad quietly.

"Oh." He said surprised. "Ok..."

Rory glanced at Luke. "Can we go see mom?"

"Of course. Just let me go let Caesar know." He said. He glanced at Chris. "Would you like a lift?"

"Uh...yes please." Chris said, confused as to why this man was going to the hospital with Rory and why he'd think that he wouldn't want to go.

"Ok, I'll be a minute. I'll meet you outside." Luke said.

Rory nodded and led her dad outside.

"So...you're staying with him?" Chris said.

"Yeah."

"Isn't that a bit...awkward?"

"Why?" Rory frowned.

"Well...he's just the diner guy right? I assumed you'd be staying with a friend or your grandparents." Chris said.

Rory laughed slightly. "Right, just the diner guy..." She said.

"What?" He said confused.

"Dad, Luke is much more than just the diner guy and if you'd been around, you would know that." She said.

Chris sighed. "Come on, kiddo, cut me some slack...I've been busy. I've been..."

"Travelling. Yeah, you said." Rory interrupted him.

He sighed again. "Please, Rory, I get that this is a hard time for you right now but I don't want to fight."

Rory sighed as well. "I don't want to fight either." She said quietly.

"Ok good. I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier."

"Ok." She said quietly.

"Ok. So...we're good?" Chris checked hesitantly.

"Sure." Rory said.

"Right, you ready?" Luke said appearing.

Rory smiled. "Ready. Did Caesar mind you leaving early?" She asked.

"Nah, he was cool about it. I'll just have to get him some pearls as a thank you." He joked.

Rory laughed. "I'm sure he'd appreciate that!" She smirked following Luke.

Chris followed behind them, watching their interaction carefully.

* * *

They arrived at the hospital and found Emily and Richard outside Lorelai's room. "Grandma, Grandpa!" Rory said surprised.

"Hello Rory." Richard smiled.

"Hello Rory." Emily said. "And Christopher...this is a nice surprise."

"I got back yesterday from my travels." Chris said.

"Well it was good of you to come. I'm sure Rory's very happy to see you." Emily smiled sweetly.

Chris glanced at Rory who wasn't saying anything. "Uh..yeah.." He said.

"Oh, Luke, you came." Emily said as if she'd only just seen him.

"Of course he came." Rory said, thinking that now she must have been a set up.

"Rory, it's fine..." Luke said.

Rory sighed. "Can we go and see mom? I'll take dad in after."

"Sure, let's go." He nodded, placing a hand on Rory's back and leading her into Lorelai's room.

Chris watched them go with narrowed eyes. "What's going on? How come Rory's living with the diner guy?" He said.

"God knows." Emily said. "We offered but she insisted on staying with that man."

"Luke." Richard said.

"What?" Emily said.

"Luke. He does have a name, dear." He said.

"I don't care what his name is. I don't get why Rory would choose him over her own family. And I definitely don't get why Lorelai would choose to date him!" She exclaimed.

"Wait, what? Lorelai's dating Luke?" Chris said stunned.

"Apparently so." Richard sighed. "I think we should all calm down. Emily, let's not forget how good Luke has been with Rory and she says she likes living with him. He didn't have to take her in like he did. And he has been here everyday according to Rory, twice some of the days." He said.

Emily huffed. "Fine."

"I think it's good that Lorelai has such a good friend she can rely on. We wouldn't want Rory feeling alone, would we?" He said softly.

Emily sighed. "No, of course not." She said.

"Rory told me that she hasn't once seen Luke break. She says it's because he's being strong for her but this must be affecting him as well."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that I think you should maybe give him a bit of a break." Richard said. "He's suffering as much as we are."

Emily was quiet for a moment. "I suppose so."

About ten minutes later, Luke and Rory returned to the seats where the rest of them were. Luke watched as Rory took her dad into Lorelai's room. He then watched as Richard headed off to the canteen to get some food.

Emily glanced over at him and watched as he put his head in his hands, taking off his cap and rubbing his hands through his hair as he did so. "How is she?" She found herself saying.

Luke glanced up, surprised she was actually talking to him. "Who, Lorelai?"

"Of course, Lorelai! Who else would I be talking about?" Emily snapped. She sighed. "I'm sorry..."

"There's not been much change." Luke answered her. "I...I think Rory's losing hope." He admitted.

"What?" Emily said shocked.

"She hasn't said that to me but I see it in her. She's become more withdrawn and it just feels like she's accepted the situation. I...I think she actually believes that Lorelai won't wake up..." Luke sighed, rubbing his hands through his hair again. "She's such a good kid. She doesn't deserve this." He said.

"No. She doesn't." Emily said quietly.

"I don't know what to say anymore. I don't know how to make her feel better. And then I kick myself for ever thinking I could make her feel better. I mean, her mom is in a coma. And the thing is that Lorelai isn't just her mom, she's her best friend too. They're inseparable and I can't even imagine what one will be like without the other..." Luke said.

Emily glanced at him, surprised by his very true insight into her girls. He does know them well. "Well...it seems like you're doing what you can. I'm sure Rory's very grateful to you." She said.

It was Luke's turn to be surprised. "Thanks..." He said looking up as he saw Chris appear from Lorelai's room, looking white.

"I..uh..I...just need some air." He stuttered before making a hasty retreat.

Luke watched him go before glancing at Emily. "You should go join Rory." He said.

"Oh no, she would want you there." She shrugged him off.

"No, I think she'd really want her grandmother in there with her." He said.

"I...I can't." Emily said stiffly.

"Because you're scared." Luke guessed.

"Excuse me?" She snapped. "Why would I be scared of my daughter?"

"Because you never thought you'd see her in this state." He said. He glanced at her. "I was here when both my parents died. It was the hardest thing I ever had to go through. But I had people around me who encouraged me to go into their rooms. My dad was there for me when my mom died and then family friends were there for me when my dad was here. I was scared to see them but I'm so glad I did." He admitted.

Emily was shocked. She didn't know Luke's parents were dead. "I'm sorry..."

"It was a long time ago." He said quietly. "What I'm saying is that I get how you're feeling. I mean I know it's different because Lorelai is your daughter but I get how you feel. I know what it's like to have a loved one in the hospital. It's hard. It's really hard. But you'll regret it more if you just avoid the situation. Lorelai needs you right now. She needs you to be her mom. And Rory really needs her grandmother right now."

She sighed. "You're right. I know you're right."

"She looks a lot better than she did that first night you saw her." Luke said. "You can just go in and talk to her if you want. I believe she can hear us. And hey, make the most of her not being able to interrupt you with a witty joke." He said.

Emily smiled a little. "Yes, I suppose that would be nice."

Luke chuckled. He glanced at her. "She will be ok. She's tough. She will get through this."

She sighed. "I really hope so." She said getting up and standing infront of Lorelai's door. She glanced at Luke. "Thank you." She said quietly.

Luke gave her a small smile. "Rory and Lorelai need you right now."

Emily gave him a small smile. Maybe Richard was right. Maybe she had got Luke wrong. She took a deep breath before entering Lorelai's room.

Rory turned round. "Grandma..." She said.

"Hi Rory. I was wondering, could you give me a moment with your mother? I've not been here as much as I would have liked to be..." Emily said.

"Of course." Rory smiled softly. "I'll be outside."

"Thank you." Emily said watching her leave before glancing at her daughter. She walked to her side and reached for her hand. "My sweet girl..." She said softly, gently stroking Lorelai's cheek. "I don't know if you can hear me but I hope you can. I hope you can because I actually think you would faint at what I'm about to say." She joked lightly. "I was talking to Luke and I have to admit, even though I was really against it when I found out you two were starting something, that he is a good man. He obviously cares greatly about Rory and about you." She said. She sighed. "Lorelai, I don't want the last thing you hear from me is some snappy comment about something that doesn't matter. I know it probably doesn't seem like it but I am proud of you. You have done an exceptional job with Rory, she's such an amazing kid. It may not be the life I would have chosen for you but you've made something of it, even I can admit that. You're brave, hardworking, kind...all things I wish I could be more like you. I'm going to try, I really am. So please...Lorelai, please, wake up so I can tell you this to your face. I...I love you." She said, her voice cracking, tears running down her face.

* * *

Rory was back by her mom's bedside a while later. Her dad had disappeared, not that that really surprised her, and Luke and her grandparents were sitting outside. Something had happened between her Grandma and Luke. She didn't know what but her Grandma was actually making conversation with Luke and there didn't seem to be any snobby comments. She was glad that her grandparents were there and that they went in to see her mom. "See, mom, horrible situations like this can actually bring people together." She joked. "Grandma actually doesn't look like she wants to kill Luke which is good, I guess." She smiled slightly. Her face sobered though when she didn't see any expression on her mom's face. "Please, mom, I don't know how much more I can take. I miss you so much. I miss talking to you, doing everything with you, annoying Luke with you...I just miss you. I need you to wake up, mom, because I don't know if I will be able to cope if you don't." She said tearfully. "I don't know how much more I can take...because I'm not coping. I thought I was but I'm not. Luke's been amazing but he's not...you. I need you." She begged. "Please mom!" She said, letting some tears fall. She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure and she was about to get up to go get some air when she suddenly felt a little bit of pressure on her hand. She glanced down at her mom's hand in hers and then up at her. "Mom?" She said. She sighed when nothing happened. Maybe she was starting to imagine things now but just as she was about to get up again, she felt a squeeze again and then she saw her mom's eyes starting to flicker. "Mom?" She exclaimed. "Oh my god, mom?!"

**Sorry, another cliffhanger there! But I've got to keep you guys wanting more! ;) Thank you so much for your continued support, it really does mean so much to me. :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love reading what you all think. Thanks again for your support! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you so much for all your support, it really does mean so much to me! :) I'm so glad you're enjoying this. :) Here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 7

"Mom, can you hear me?" Rory exclaimed.

"Ro..ry?" Lorelai said hoarsely.

"Mom!" Rory exclaimed with tears in her eyes. "Oh my god! I can't believe you're awake!"

"Hey...sweets...water...please..." She said.

"Oh right, of course!" Rory said grabbing a cup and pouring some water in it and giving it to her. "I can't believe it. You're awake, you're actually ok. I mean, you are ok right?" She rambled.

"I think so." Lorelai said. "Wha...What happened?" She asked.

"You don't remember?"

Lorelai thought for a moment. "There was a car, I think..."

"Yeah, a car came speeding out of nowhere and it hit you...You're in hospital by the way." Rory said.

"Yeah I kind of gathered that." She said glancing at her daughter. "How long was I out for?"

"2 weeks, 5 days, 8 hours and 35 minutes." Rory said. "Oh mom, I've missed you so much!" She said giving her a hug.

"I'm sorry I worried you..." Lorelai said feeling awful that Rory had had to go through this.

"No don't be sorry! I'm just so happy you're finally awake!" She said. She then pressed the call button for the doctor who came in soon after and was visibly relieved to see his patient awake and started examining her. Rory's eyes widened. "I need to tell the others you're awake!" She exclaimed. "Promise me, you'll still be awake when I come back." She said.

"I think I've slept enough for my whole life." Lorelai joked.

Rory grinned. It was still her mom alright. She ran outside to the seats where everyone was. She hadn't realised she'd had tears running down her face. "Luke, Grandma, Grandpa!" She exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Luke said his heart lurching.

"Nothing! Mom's awake!" Rory exclaimed.

Emily gasped and Luke felt his heart stop for a second. He had been waiting for someone to say those words for so long now. He knew it had only been nearly 3 weeks but it had felt like a lifetime and it felt so similar to his mom. He was hoping so much it wouldn't end like it had with his mom.

Rory saw the doctor leave the room. "I'm going back in! I can't believe she's actually awake! And she's still mom! She's ok!" She beamed before rushing into the room again.

Richard glanced over at Luke who hadn't said anything. "Why don't you go in first, son?" He said gently. "She will want to see you."

Luke glanced up at him. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." He assured her. "I'll go when Emily feels ready."

Luke glanced at Emily who was looking in shock just like him and nodded. "Ok. Thanks." He said.

Meanwhile, Rory was sat by her mom's side. "It's so good to be able to talk to you and know that I will actually get a response this time." She said tearfully, hugging her mom again.

"Hey, don't cry..." Lorelai said softly, reciprocating the action.

"I'm not. These are happy tears, I promise." Rory said. "I've just missed you so much. I love you so so much." She said.

"Oh kid, you have no idea." Lorelai said, feeling tearful herself. "So...who's out there?" She asked.

"Grandma and Grandpa. And Luke." Rory said. "He's been so great, mom. He's been here everyday with me and he's really looked after me." She smiled warmly. "I don't know how I would have got through this without him." She admitted.

"Wow..." Lorelai said quietly, feeling so grateful to Luke that he was there for Rory. She couldn't help but notice the warmth in Rory's voice as she spoke about Luke. "Well...Luke's been known to be pretty great." She said.

Rory smiled. "Yeah..." She said softly. She heard movement at the door and turned round to see Luke standing there.

Lorelai glanced at Rory and then at Luke and could see the relief in his eyes. "Hey..." She smiled softly.

"Hey..." Luke smiled, coming over to Lorelai's side and kissing her forehead.

"Uh, wow, Duke, I never realised we were that close!" She said. She saw the horror in Rory's and Luke's eyes and immediately realised she may have made the wrong call.

Luke backed up slowly and his face faltered. He was trying not to show any emotions. He hadn't even thought about amnesia but if she did have it, it would probably have erased the last few days before the accident which would mean their declarations of their feelings to each other. "Uh...sorry..." He mumbled.

Rory saw the heartbroken look on Luke's face. "Uh..mom? What's the last think you remember?" She asked cautiously.

Lorelai saw the look on Luke's face and now knew she had definitely made the wrong call. "Luke, wait, come here..." She said beckoning him forward. Luke did as he was told and stood by her side but she beckoned him even closer and gently pulled him close and kissed him gently on the lips. "I've been waiting a long time to do that." She smiled, with a twinkle in her eye. "Watching you in the diner from across the road and thinking that we would finally have our first kiss...That's the last thing I remember."

Luke dropped his head and let out a huge tension-infused breath he had been holding. He didn't say anything because he didn't know what to say. At least it was still the same Lorelai. The Lorelai that loved to give him heart attacks.

"Mom, that's not funny!" Rory spoke up. Luke had done a lot for her and she wasn't really in the mood for her sense of humour right now. Luke didn't deserve it.

Lorelai glanced at his daughter and then at Luke. "You're right. I'm sorry." She said sincerely. "Luke, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have done that." She was worried when he still didn't say anything. "Please Luke, I was only messing. It was only meant to be a joke. I'm sorry, I totally misread the situation. Rory told me how great you've been with her and I am so grateful you were there for her. Please...say something..."

Luke finally looked up at her, in those blue eyes he had been hoping he would look into again. He smirked slightly. "You're impossible, Lorelai Gilmore. You know that right?" He said leaning forward to kiss her again.

Lorelai let out a breath but grinned. "Why thank you!"

Luke chuckled. "Why do I put up with you?" He said.

"Because you love me." She grinned. Her eyes widened slightly as she realised what she had said. "I mean..uh..well you know what I mean..." She said quickly.

Luke smiled softly. "God help me but yes I do." He said.

She smiled. "Well...the feeling's mutual."

"I've missed you." Luke admitted.

"I'm going to give you two some space. I want to ring Lane and Sookie and let them know you're awake. And then I might try and find Ollie as well." Rory said.

"Ok hon." Lorelai smiled. "See you in a bit. Don't be too long. I need a long catch up with my favourite daughter." Rory smiled and left the room. Lorelai sighed as she thought about all the pain and worry she had caused her. She felt awful. She glanced at Luke. "Thank you." She said sincerely.

"For what?" Luke said sitting down next to her.

"For looking after her."

"She's an amazing kid. It was an easy choice to make." He shrugged it off.

Lorelai smiled softly. "And that's why I love you." She said. She then smirked. "So who's this Ollie kid?"

Luke chuckled. "You're not getting anything out of me."

"Oh come on! I've been out for two weeks! I need to know why my daughter's talking about some other boy and hasn't mentioned her boyfriend at all!" She exclaimed. "She's not going to tell me." She laughed.

Luke smirked. "Well...from what I know, Dean is still her boyfriend. Ollie is this guy she met here. His dad was in a coma too so they kind of used each other as support which I thought was nice. Ollie helped her a lot." He admitted.

"Wow...a boy that Luke actually approves of. That says a lot!" Lorelai teased.

He blushed slightly. "I wouldn't say I approve...I just, he's a good kid. I'm glad he's been there for Rory. He's helped her in ways I couldn't." He said.

"Well...that's good then. I'm glad." Lorelai smiled softly.

"And even Paris has been nice apparently." Luke smirked.

Lorelai laughed. "Well that is a turn up for the books! Maybe I should go into a coma again!" She joked.

"Don't you dare! Once is enough!" Luke growled.

Lorelai gave him a small smile. "I've missed this." She admitted. "I thought...I thought I'd be locked in my head forever and I'd never get to talk to you or Rory again or drink your coffee again." She said her voice cracking.

"Hey, it's ok." He said softly, wiping one of her tears away. "You're ok. You're going to be ok. You just need to focus on making a full recovery now ok?"

"Ok." She said quietly, sniffing slightly. She glanced at him. "I need you too, you know..." She saw Luke look at her in surprise. "I could hear everything." She told him. "Anyone who came to visit me, from that first day, I could hear everything. I just...couldn't find a way to talk back to you..."

"Oh Lorelai..." Luke said softly, pulling her into a hug. "I thought I was going to lose you." He admitted.

"Well you haven't. And I promise I will try not to put any of you through this again." She said.

"Good." He said.

They sat there for a moment, just gazing into each other's eyes. They had wasted so much time bottling up their feelings for each other. They were determined to make the most of it now. Suddenly, they heard movement by the door and they saw Emily and Richard standing awkwardly there. "I'll give you guys some time." Luke said softly.

"You'll come back after right?" Lorelai said.

"Try and stop me." Luke smiled.

Lorelai smiled as she watched him leave the room. She then glanced at her parents. "Hi..." She said softly.

They came and stood next to her. Richard surprised her by taking hold of her hand. "It's so good to hear your voice." He said emotionally. "You worried us sick."

"I'm sorry, daddy..." She said quietly.

"Oh no, it's not your fault." He said quickly. "It's just...It's just good to see you awake."

Lorelai smiled tearfully at him and squeezed his hand gently. "It's good to be awake." She said. She then glanced at her mother who hadn't said anything. "Mom..."

Emily smiled tearfully at her and came forward, taking her hand and gently brushing her hand against Lorelai's cheek. "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice." She said softly.

"Mom..." Lorelai said softly.

"I...I thought we'd lost you...Please, promise me, you won't put us through that again." Emily said.

"Oh trust me, I never want to go through that again!" Lorelai laughed slightly.

Emily smiled slightly. "Good." She said.

Lorelai glanced at her mother. "Thanks...for what you said..." She said. She saw the shocked expression of her mother. "Yeah...I heard every word."

"I meant every word." She said softly.

"Thank you." Lorelai said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Luke had gone out to the waiting room and smiled when he saw Rory chatting and laughing with Ollie. "Hey kid..." He said sitting down next to her.

"Hey!" Rory grinned at him. "How's mom?"

"She's good." He nodded. "Just wanted to give her some time with your grandparents." He said.

Rory nodded, understanding. "They must be so relieved. I know it hurt me so much to see mom like that but it must have been a whole different kind of scary for them..." She said.

"Yeah." Luke nodded. "How's your dad doing?" He asked Ollie.

"He's good. Making good progress." Ollie smiled.

"Good. That's good. I'm glad." Luke smiled at him.

"Thanks." Ollie smiled. "You must be relieved about Lorelai."

"Yeah." He sighed. "Doesn't seem real." He admitted.

"I get that. When my dad first came round, I was terrified I would wake up and it would all have been a dream." Ollie admitted.

"Yeah..." Luke said.

"Anyway, I'll leave you guys to it. Catch up with you later?" Ollie smiled at Rory.

"Yeah definitely." Rory nodded. "Bye! Say hi to your dad from me."

"I will." He nodded before walking off.

"So did you get through to everyone?" Luke asked Rory.

"Yeah, I rang Lane and she was so happy for me. Then I rang Sookie who was sobbing down the phone. I think she was just so overwhelmed with emotion. She said she'd let the town know." Rory said.

"Good." He nodded.

Rory beamed up at him. "She's awake. I still can't actually believe that she's awake!"

Luke smiled at her ecstatic face. "Yeah, you and me both, kid!" He chuckled.

"That trick she played on you was mean..." Rory said.

"Yes it was." He chuckled. "But it means your mom is still your mom. Which is good."

Rory smiled. "Yeah it is." She said softly. She sighed and leant her head on his shoulder. "Thanks..." She said softly.

"For what?"

"For getting me through this..."

"Hey, you don't need to thank me." Luke said.

"I do." Rory said. "I really do." She said as Emily and Richard suddenly reappeared.

"Rory, dear, we're going to head off for a bit but I promise we'll be back later." Emily said.

"Ok." Rory smiled getting up and giving her grandparents a hug. "I'll see you later."

"We'll see you later." Richard smiled at his granddaughter before him and Emily left.

Rory and Luke then headed back into Lorelai's room once they had left. "Hey mom!" Rory smiled. "It's so good to be able to say that and know that I will actually get a response this time."

"Hey sweets." Lorelai smiled.

"Good talk with Grandma and Grandpa?" She asked.

"Yeah, it was really nice actually." Lorelai nodded.

"Good." Rory smiled.

The doctor came into the room at that moment. "Miss Gilmore, it is so good to see you awake and talking." He smiled.

"It's good to be awake and talking." Lorelai smiled.

"So...what happens now?" Luke asked him.

"Well, we're going to monitor you for about a week to make sure everything's ok and when we're satisfied that there won't be any detrimental conditions, we can make arrangements for you to go home." The doctor told Lorelai.

"Complications?" Lorelai said worried. "I feel ok. Why would there be complications?"

"Well, with a traumatic head injury like yours, there can always be some sort of an aftermath. We're hoping there won't be but there's always that risk. Also, you've been unconscious for nearly 3 weeks so we need to get your body feeling back to normal and pumping the blood through it again. I know it's a lot to take in but we want to make sure you're well enough to go home." He said.

"What about my leg? How long will it take to heal? I've got a job to get back to." Lorelai said.

"I'm afraid it will be a while yet. Your leg was badly broken and needs time to heal fully. You will need to be in a wheelchair for the first couple of weeks until you feel strong enough to use crutches. You will also need a lot of rest when you get home and then we will arrange the right amount of physical therapy to start your leg healing. It will take a while to get your leg back to how it was." He said.

"But I've got a job to go back to! I've always missed so much!" She exclaimed.

"Miss Gilmore, with all due respect, you were extremely lucky to have survived this accident. We have seen so many people who were involved in the same sort of accident not make it. Only 10% make full recoveries as well. I don't mean to scare you but if you want to be in that percentage, you need to take it easy and make sure you're completely ready before you even think about work. If you have a relapse on your leg, you will probably need another surgery and you may not be able to walk properly again." He said.

Rory's eyes widened. "Please mom! Please listen to him!" She said scared by all the medical speak.

Lorelai saw her daughter's frightened expression and immediately felt guilty. "Of course I will. I'm sorry." She apologised. She sighed. "Of course I will take it easy." She said. "I wasn't thinking..."

"Sookie and Michel have the inn under control so don't worry about that. Also, Mia knows everything as well." Luke assured her. "Everyone just wants you to get better ok?" He said.

Lorelai nodded. "Ok." She said quietly. "I'm sorry."

The doctor used this moment to excuse himself from the room. Luke glanced at him before excusing himself as well, with Rory following him.

"She will need a lot of help during the day." The doctor was saying to Luke as Rory walked up to them. "She won't be able to cope with her leg by herself, especially if you live in a multi-storey house." He said assuming Luke lived with them.

"But I've got school! I can't be with her during the day!" Rory said worrying.

"I can help out." Luke said. "I was going to make a ramp going up your porch steps anyway so it will be easier for her when she's in the wheelchair and when she's on crutches as well." He said. "I can help out during the day and other times as well if you like."

"Really?" Rory said gratefully.

"Yeah of course. Caesar can cover the diner when I'm not there and I can sleep on your couch if you want. She might need help during the night and I don't want you to have to worry about that, especially when you've got school." He said. "That is, if you wouldn't mind me being there?" He checked.

"Are you kidding me? You've practically been living there for 3 weeks anyway!" Rory said. "Luke, you're a lifesaver, seriously! I wouldn't be able to cope by myself." She said.

Luke smiled, glad she was ok with it. The doctor left them, satisfied with their plans. Luke glanced at Rory. "Your mom's not going to like it, is she?"

Rory smirked. "You know her so well."

Luke chuckled. "Don't I just..." He said as they headed back to her room.

"Hey, you left me! Are you sick of me already?" Lorelai joked, pouting.

"Never!" Rory grinned.

"I was just talking to the doctor." Luke explained.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, you know how you will probably need some help when you get out of here?" Rory said.

"Yeah..." Lorelai said looking at them suspiciously.

"Well...Luke's offered to stay at ours to help out." Rory said.

"What? No! No, Luke, I can't ask that of you." Lorelai protested.

"It's no problem. Rory will be at school during the day so you won't have anyone to help. I honestly don't mind. I will even sleep on the couch if you need any help during the night." He said.

"No, it's too much. I will be fine." Lorelai said stubbornly.

"No you won't, mom!" Rory said. "You barely coped when you broke your leg last time and it was nowhere near as bad as this. Please, mom! I will only worry if you're by yourself. What if you fall over?"

"It's too much to ask. I don't want you to have to wait hand and foot on me, Luke. We haven't even had our first date yet..." She said.

"I know. Look, I get it ok?" Luke said. "I would hate it too if I was in your position. But you need someone. You can't do this all by yourself and it's not fair to rely on Rory either." He said.

Lorelai sighed. "I know..."

"And look at it this way, at least I'd be better than your mother." He joked. "Because you know she would offer if she knew..."

She did smile slightly at that. "I guess so..."

"So...you'll accept his help?" Rory said hopefully.

Lorelai sighed but nodded. "Yeah, I'll accept the help." She said. She watched as Rory grinned over at Luke who smile back and nodded slightly in response. She couldn't help but notice how much closer the two of them had become. "I can't believe you two are in cahoots already!" She joked.

Rory grinned. "Get used to it, mom."

"I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" She laughed.

"Nope!" Rory grinned.

"Are you ok with it though? We've had the 'no man in the house' rule for years..." She said.

"Yeah but that never applied to Luke. He's always been in the house. And he's practically been living there the last few weeks anyway so it would be kind of weird not to have him around..." She admitted, glancing over at Luke who smiled at her.

"Oh..ok...well that's sorted then." Lorelai said.

* * *

"So your mom's going to be ok then?" Ollie asked later that day as he ate some food with Rory in the canteen.

"Yeah, if she keeps her promise about resting and taking it easy." Rory said.

"I'm sure she will." He said.

"I don't know. My mom's never been good at just sitting and doing nothing." She sighed.

"I get that. But I know she will probably realise how much it's worrying you so I'm sure she will follow the doctor's orders." He assured her.

Rory smiled at him. "I hope so."

"Hey, I bet if she doesn't, Nurse Rory will quickly get on her case." Ollie smirked.

Rory laughed. "Oh you bet I will!"

Ollie laughed. He then smiled at her. "So..uh..my dad's being discharged tomorrow..." He said.

"Oh Ollie, that's great news! I bet you're ecstatic!" Rory smiled.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am." Ollie smiled. "But...well, it will mean we don't get to see each other anymore." He added.

"Who says?" Rory said.

"What?" He said confused.

"Well, yeah, you might not be around the hospital anymore so we might not get to see each other everyday but I'd be a fool to let a good friend go.." Rory smiled. "You've got a cell right?"

"Uh yeah..." He said pulling it out of his pocket.

"Give it here." She said taking it and putting her number in it. "You're one of the people that's kept me going the last few weeks and I'm so grateful for your friendship. There's no way I'm just going to let that disappear because my mom and your dad are better." She said. She smiled at him. "You've been so good to me and I've never really thanked you."

"You don't need to." Ollie said. "You've helped me a lot too."

Rory smiled softly. "So...once your dad's settled back at home, give me a call ok? We can meet up and have a catch up." She said.

Ollie smiled. "That sounds good." He said. "I better get going."

"Yeah, I better get back to mom." She said getting up. She smiled at him before going over to hug him. "Thank you." She said sincerely.

Ollie sighed. "Right back at you." He said.

Rory smiled softly. "See you around then." She said.

"Yeah, see you around." Ollie smiled before they both started walking off in opposite directions.

**So I hope you liked it! Your reviews mean so much to me so please keep them going. I love reading what you all think. :) Thanks again for all your support! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so so much for all your support! I'm so happy you're enjoying this as I'm really enjoying writing it. :) Here's the next chapter.**

Chapter 8

Things over the next week were busy for everyone. Lorelai was determined to get home from hospital as she was growing frustrated of the four white walls at Hartford Memorial Hospital. She was having the physical therapy sessions to show she was ready to go home but she was finding it much harder than she thought she would. Her leg was making it all very limited and it was really frustrating her that she couldn't do more. Her body was growing stronger with the exercises gradually so that was positive and the doctors were assuring her that she was making progress but it would take time. Luke was juggling running the diner and being at the hospita whenever he could to support Lorelai through her recovery. Rory, meanwhile, was busy trying to study for her final school exams along with going to see her mom at the hospital which meant she wasn't getting very much sleep at the moment. Luke would encourage her to go to bed early but then she would just continue studying in her room without Luke knowing. She needed to get good grades so was determined to do well.

Rory was leaving school one of days and she was surprised to see Dean standing against his truck waiting for her. She went over to him and smiled. "Hey, did we have something planned?"

Dean chuckled slightly. "No."

"What's so funny?" Rory said confused.

"Nothing." He said. "Just...no, it's nothing."

"Are you ok?" She asked.

Dean sighed. "Do you have some time? I need to talk to you."

"Oh..uh..yeah. I'm going to go see my mom soon though."

"It won't be long, I promise." He said. "Want to go to Weston's?"

"Uh..sure." Rory said.

A little while, they were both sat in Weston's having a slice of pie.

"How's your mom doing?" Dean asked.

"She's ok. Getting frustrated but she's making progress." Rory said.

"That's good." Dean smiled sincerely.

"Yeah..." Rory said. "I still can't quite believe it..."

"Yeah I can imagine. I can't even begin to imagine what you went through when she was in a coma." He sighed.

"It's not something I'd like to go through again." She said.

"Yeah..." Dean said looking down at his piece of pie.

Rory glanced at him. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Dean sighed again. "I don't think this is working..." He said.

"What?" Rory said confused. "You don't think what is working?"

"Us. You and me..."

"What? What do you mean?" She said shocked.

"Come on, Rory, it can't just be me that's felt it."

"Felt what?"

"We're just not...I don't know...clicking anymore. There was that spark before but I don't think it's there anymore..." Dean said hesitantly. He glanced up at her. "You always say you're going to call me or say we can meet up but then you either forget or bail." He said.

"Dean, my mom's in hospital. Any spare time I have at the moment which isn't a lot because of my finals but whatever is left, I'm at the hospital with my mom." Rory exclaimed.

"I know and I get that. I get that you need to be with your mom and I respect that. I would be the same." Dean said quickly.

"Ok...so...?" Rory said confused.

"Rory, I can't be the only one who feels it. I know you've had an extremely hard time the last few weeks but even before then, we weren't speaking as much as we did when we first went out." He said.

"What do you mean? We went on that double date with Lane..."

"Yeah, we did do that but..." Dean sighed. "Rory, please don't make this any harder than it already is..."

"No! I don't understand, Dean! I know I've been...distracted...recently but I thought we were good. I apologised for snapping at you that day..." Rory said.

"It isn't about that."

"Then I don't get it! Yes, I've been distracted but I really care about you, Dean..." She said. "Please..."

Dean glanced at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm sorry..." He said getting up.

"Dean!" Rory exclaimed.

"I really hope your mom is back home soon." He said sincerely before leaving Weston's, leaving Rory sat there stunned.

* * *

Rory walked into the hospital a while later, still confused and upset by the conversation with Dean. She knew she had been distracted and had been missing his calls and then forgetting to call him back but she had been so busy, she thought he'd understand. She sighed as she entered her mom's room but she froze when the bed was empty. Where was her mom? She was supposed to be there. She started feeling her breathing quicken. She rushed out and looked down the hallway and spotted the nurse that was looking after her. "Where's my mom?" She exclaimed.

"Rory?" She said surprised to see her in such a state.

"Where's my mom? She's meant to be in her room and she's not there! Where is she?" Rory exclaimed, gasping for breath now.

"Ok, you need to calm down." The nurse said softly.

"Rory?" A familiar voice said. She turned to see Luke rushing towards them. "What's going on?" He asked concerned.

"Mom's not in her room! Where is she? Why is she not there?" Rory exclaimed, still trying to control her breathing.

"She was fine earlier." Luke said confused, looking at the nurse.

"She is. I know she was getting some tests done to see if she can finally go home but I didn't realise it would take this long." The nurse said. "I'm really sorry, Rory. We didn't mean to worry you."

"Hey, you hear that?" Luke said softly, gently sitting her down and taking hold of her hands. "She's ok. She's just getting looked over one last time."

Rory was shaking but her breathing was starting to slow down again. "She's ok?" She said quietly.

"She's ok." Luke assured her. "Deep breaths ok?"

Rory took a shaky deep breath and wiped away some tears. "I'm sorry..." She sniffed. She glanced at the nurse. "I'm sorry for causing a scene..."

"No, you don't need to be sorry. I can totally understand why you would panic. I'm sorry we didn't warn you." The nurse said. "Look, here's your mom now." She said.

Rory looked up and saw her mom being wheeled down the hallway in a wheelchair. "Mom!" She exclaimed, jumping up and running over to her and hugging her tightly.

"Whoa! What brought this on?" Lorelai joked. She then saw the tear stains on her daughter's cheeks. "Hey, what's wrong?" She said concerned.

"I'll leave you to it." The nurse said.

"Thanks." Luke smiled appreciatively at her. "She came to your room and you weren't there. She..uh..kind of had a panic attack..." He told Lorelai.

"What?" Lorelai said shocked. "You've never had a panic attack before..."

"Yeah, you were ok this morning when I took you to school." Luke said.

"I know...I'm sorry. I just...I guess I haven't been sleeping well lately and probably not eating enough either." Rory sniffed. "And then the thing with Dean..."

"What thing with Dean? What did he do?" Luke frowned.

"Nothing. He just...he met me after school and we went to Weston's. He...I think he broke up with me..." She said quietly.

"What?" Luke said angrily.

"Aw hon, I'm so sorry!" Lorelai said softly. She glanced at Luke. "Hey doll, could you maybe go grab us something to eat from the vending machine?" She said.

"But I'm going to cook when I get home. Rory shouldn't fill herself up on that crap." Luke said.

"Well maybe she can eat it after. I was thinking Rory and I could head to my room and catch up for a minute." She said, giving him a look.

"Oh...right." Luke said understanding that they needed a minute. "Sure. I'll be right back." He said.

"Thanks." Lorelai smiled softly at him. She then wheeled back to her room with Rory. "So...Dean broke up with you?" She said.

"I knew I'd been distracted recently but...I thought we were good..." Rory sniffed.

"Aw hon..."

"Obviously Dean thought different. Maybe he was right...maybe there isn't that spark anymore..." She said quietly.

"Well..."

"What?"

"I don't know but even before my accident, I had noticed you two weren't calling each other everyday like you did at the beginning..." Lorelai said.

"Really?" Rory said. "I...I hadn't noticed. God, I'm such an awful girlfriend. He's been so good to me and I've been rubbish.."

"Rory, no..." She said softly. "Sometimes these things just...don't work. Sometimes it's noone's fault."

Rory sighed. "I really liked him, mom."

"I know you did." Lorelai said. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry I freaked out. The nurse probably thinks I'm a nutcase."

"I'm sure she understood." Lorelai smiled softly.

"I think I freaked Luke out too..." Rory said.

"Nah, I think he was more concerned than freaked out. It wasn't like you..."

"I know."

"Promise me you'll start sleeping ok?" Lorelai said. "I know you're studying like crazy right now but you're going to burn yourself out if you carry on like you are."

"I promise." Rory said.

"And promise me, you'll eat." She said.

"I will."

"I'll make sure she does." A voice said from the door.

They turned to see Luke standing there. "Hey." Lorelai smiled warmly at him.

"Hey." Luke smiled at her. He glanced at Rory. "Are you ok?"

Rory nodded and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I am now. I'm sorry I worried you. I guess everything just got on top of me..."

"That's understandable." Luke said. "But next time, know that you can talk to me if you're feeling like this ok?" He said. "Or your mom."

"I know. Thanks Luke." She said softly.

"And no more studying after 11." He said.

"Wait...how did you...?" Rory said surprised.

"I know you." Luke smirked slightly.

Rory ducked her head sheepishly. "Ok I promise."

"Good."

Lorelai smiled at their interaction. "Hey, so do you guys want some good news?" She said.

"I could really do with some good news." Rory nodded.

"What's up?" Luke said.

"Well...someone has excelled all their tests and a doctor may have told that same person that she may be able to go home in a couple of days..." She grinned.

"Seriously?" Rory said her face lighting up. "Mom, that's so great!" She exclaimed hugging her.

"I know! I can't wait to get home!" Lorelai grinned excitedly.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Luke said. "The doctors double checked everything right?"

"Are you trying to rain on my parade?" She pouted.

"No...I just want to make sure you're really ok to come home." He said.

"You care about me." Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah. I do." He said ducking his head slightly.

Lorelai smiled again. "I can assure you they were very thorough. The doctor said he was really happy with my progress. I'm going to have to be in a wheelchair at first but then he said I can try crutches. To be honest, I don't even care about that. I just want to get home."

"Well I can't wait for you to be home. It's not been the same without you." Rory smiled.

"Aw hon..."

"Yeah, it will be good to have you home." Luke smiled.

Lorelai grinned at them both. "I can't wait!" She beamed.

* * *

Later that evening, Rory and Luke were sat on the couch at the Crap Shack. "I can't believe she's finally coming home..." Rory said.

"Yeah..." Luke said.

Rory smiled over at him. "I'm so tired but I'm so happy right now. Is that weird?"

Luke chuckled. "No, I think that's pretty normal for someone in your situation."

She sighed. "I'm sorry I worried you at the hospital. I just...I guess I was more stressed than I thought about school and then I was tired and hungry and I just...freaked out."

"It's ok." He said. "Just promise me it won't happen again. It scared me seeing you like that."

"I promise." She said. She glanced at him. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?" Luke said glancing over at her.

"I just wanted to say thanks..."

"For what?" He said confused.

"Everything." Rory said. "I mean, I know you'll still be staying here for a bit while mom gets back on her feet but it meant a lot that you always made sure I wasn't alone even for a night. It was...well, it was nice to have someone around looking out for me. I know this past month has probably been as difficult for you as it has been for me so I just wanted to thank you. For being there for me." She gave him a shy smile.

Luke smiled softly at her. "I will always be here for you, Rory. Whenever you need me."

"Thank you." She smiled softly as her cell suddenly rang. "Oh, sorry. Do you mind?"

"No, it's fine. You want me to pause the movie?" He asked.

"No it's ok. I won't be long." She smiled getting up and heading to her room. "Hello?" She answered.

"Rory?" A familiar voice said.

"Ollie?" Rory said surprised.

"Yeah. Hey!" He said.

"Oh..hey!" She said.

"I know we said we'd call once we've both settled down a bit with my dad and your mom but...it felt weird not having spoken to you for this long. I know I'm probably coming across as a right loser right now but I was on my phone and I saw your number and I just...found myself calling you." Ollie said.

"Ok..." Rory said.

"Oh god, I really am a loser aren't I?" He cringed.

Rory laughed. "No, don't be silly. It's nice to hear from you."

"Really?" He smiled.

Rory smiled. "Yeah. Really." She said softly.

"Ok good." Ollie said letting out a breath. "So how's your mom doing?"

"Yeah, she's good. She gets to come home in a couple of days." She smiled.

"Aw really? Rory, that's so great!" He enthused.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" She grinned. "I can't wait to have her home."

"I bet." Ollie smiled.

"How's your dad doing?" Rory asked as she settled down on her bed and lay back on it, smiling as she listened to how Ollie's life had been since he'd left the hospital with his dad.

**So I hope you liked it! Please keep your reviews coming as I really love reading what you all think. Thank you again so much for your support, it really does mean so much to me! :)**


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